The Pacifica Military Moms

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FLASH TIME CHANGE!!!!    DAVID'S FLIGHT IS NOW SCHEDULED TO ARRIVE AT 1:23PM!!

WELCOME HOME from Afghanistan SGT. David Lucchetti of Pacifica!  We will be welcoming David home on July 23rd at the International Terminal of the San Francisco Airport on Virgin Americana Airlines, Flight 753 arriving at 1:23 PM.   The Patriot Guard Riders (a group mostly made up of Viet Nam Veterans who honor our servicemen and women) will be escorting him home on their motorcycles and is a spectacular event to see!!  Please feel free to meet up at the airport for this event.  They will be escorting David to the American Legion Hall located at 555 Buel Avenue in Pacifica, CA and should arrive around 2:30 to 3pm if you'd like to meet up there!!

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Upcoming Event on July 23, 2010:

OPERATION WELCOME HOME - The Pacifica Miltiary Moms are holding an event for our veterans, active duty miltiary personnel and their families on Friday, July 23rd  from 7pm to 9pm at the American Legion Hall in Pacifica, CA, located at 555 Buel Avenue.  The three speakers will be:

- Francis Hall of  California’s OPERATION WELCOME HOME - CalVet Corps - Every year nearly 30,000 veterans of the United States Military return home to California to reconnect with family and friends and restart their civilian lives.  Each and every one of today’s veterans freely volunteered to serve our nation. They chose to serve our country and defend what it stands for in the world – freedom, opportunity and hope.  Now that they are home, California has an important job – to help our veterans find the opportunities and fulfill their dreams and hopes – that is why CalVet Corps was formed.   http://www.veterans.ca.gov/index.shtml

- A speaker from San Francisco's Employment Development Department's veteran services will speak to veterans looking for jobs.

- Keith Armstrong of the San Francisco VA Hospital will speak on PTSD (Post Tramatic Stress Disorder).  He is the co-author of a book titled "Courage After Fire" http://www.courageafterfire.com/index.html. 

Keith Armstrong, L.C.S.W., is a Clinical Professor with the Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco. He is Director of Couples and Family Therapy, Director of Mental Health Social Work, and a member of the Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Program at the San Francisco Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Mr. Armstrong has been involved in responding to natural and man-made disasters. In 1999 Mr. Armstrong was invited to Taiwan after the earthquake to provide education to professionals on how to intervene after a traumatic event. He has made numerous television and radio appearances as well as interviews in newspaper articles discussing treatment of war stress. Mr. Armstrong was utilized as a PTSD expert on a nationally televised show on the History Channel and interviewed by Swiss Public Radio about returning veterans who served in Afghanistan and Iraq. He has authored articles and chapters on debriefing after trauma and on the treatment of couples when one person has a diagnosis of PTSD. In 2000, 2003, 2004, and 2005 Mr. Armstrong won the UCSF Residents Department of Psychiatry award for excellence in teaching. He has a private practice in San Francisco specializing in treating couples and families.

 

Please join us for this informational event!

 

 

 

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Our Packing Day on July 11, 2010:  The Pacifica Military Moms gathered at the American Legion Hall in Pacifica to pack and ship care packages to our deployed service members.  With the help of famly, friends and also some returning veterans, we packed and shipped 90 care packages that day!  Thank you to all who attended.  It was an awesome day!!

 

Please click on the "Donations Needed" tab above to see a list of items we use in our care packages.  Feel free to drop your donations off in one of the collection canisters below.

Pacifica Community Center, 540 Crespi Drive (canister is located inside the receptionist desk).

City Arms Gun Shop, 90 Oceana Blvd in the Eureka Square Shopping Center

Lighthouse Point Self Storage, 1221 Palmetto Avenue

If you would prefer to send a donation to help pay for shipping ($12.50 per box), you can send a check to Pacifica Military Moms, P.O. Box 1764, Pacifica, CA 94044 or you can donate through PayPal on the home page of our website.

 

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APRIL 2010 - We gathered and packed 130 care packages to the troops serving overseas! 

JANUARY 2010 - We were able to send 193 care packages to our troops serving overseas this month!

NOVEMBER 7th  - 75 people gathered to help us pack and ship 173 care packages on November 7th.  The Pacifica Military Moms would like to thank Kelly-Moore Paints for collecting donations at 60 of their Bay Area paint stores during the month of October!  The packages are on their way overseas right now!  Thank you to the North County Fire for letting us use your meeting room space at the Linda Mar Fire Department to fill these care packages. 

 

CBS Channel 5 Jefferson Award Winner:  The Pacifica Military Moms were recently honored by receiving a Jefferson Award by CBS5 News. Debbie Smyser's co-worker nominated her for this award so she had lots of military moms come down to Luigi's Italian Restaurant to do a mini packing for the TV cameras.  Copy and paste this into a new window to view what was shown on TV http://cbs5.com/jeffersonawards/Jefferson.Awards.Smyser.2.967519.html

Moms Bio
The Pacifica Military Moms is a non profit 503(c) support group based in Pacifica, California, especially dedicated to supporting the troops and assisting the mothers and their families who have children serving in the United States military. A chapter of the Blue Star Mothers of America, the Pacifica Military Moms provide support for moms with military children throughout San Mateo County in Northern California. Throughout the year, we create and send military troop care packages to show our loved ones they are heroes, we appreciate their service, and we continue to support them while they are away from home. We share our concerns, our support, our pride and our devotion for our loved ones serving in the United States Armed Forces. Through various events and activities, we support fellow Blue Star Moms, associate members, our children serving in the military, our Veterans and our community. We provide military family support to benefit our members and their families. The Pacifica Military Moms is a non-partisan, non-sectarian, non-discriminatory and non-profit organization. Our mission is to support fellow Blue Star members, their sons, daughters and any other family members who are currently serving or have served in the Armed Forces of the United States of America.

Our Blue Star Flag
There is a proud tradition surrounding Service Star Banner flags dating back to WW I. The Blue Star Service flag was designed in 1917 and is typically displayed in the window of the homes where a son or daughter or loved one is on active duty. The number of stars placed in the white field indicates the number of currently serving members. Should the person fall in the line of duty or die while in the service, a gold star replaces the blue. Display of the Service Banner is done during time of war and shows the pride of the family and reminds all who see it that our national freedom is a cherished commodity demanding much from all those who proudly support and serve our country.   To order your own service flag or any type of banner, we suggest serviceflags.com

 

If you know of a service member that needs to share a ride home, please have them visit this website www.militaryrideshare.com.  This is a share ride that will save them some money by splitting the cost of fuel.